✦ Teslaron

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M E T A x R E F L E C T I O N
Oban Grand Procession

TESLARON'S THOUGHTS

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Market Shenanigans

TES' THOUGHTS

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Thunder Bunker

TES' THOUGHTS

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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Until Forever Comes

The terrace that edged nearly the entire outer wall of his former masters' home was legitimately the most beautiful feature the building had to offer. It wasn't especially large or ostentatious, not decorated in absurd colors as some of the nobles did, not dotted in hopeful pots of greenery doomed to failure. It was lined in rails of cast iron, decorated with two wicker woven chairs, and colored naturally in the same shades of orange and red clay that made up most of Oba's buildings.

It was only two stories over the earth, but still an acceptable survey spot for anything interesting the desert city had to offer. He could see over the roofs of the smaller houses beyond their backyard, watch merchants and traders in the street below, throw things at people, if it suited him.

In Tes' very humble opinion, it had only one flaw. The house itself faced east, with its main entryway looking out over the street. The balcony didn't stretch around the the front of the house, likely because that sort of building protrusion didn't look all that appealing from the front.

So the main body of the terrace faced west, with side flaps to the north and south. And this, to Tes, seemed horribly unfair. It only ever saw the sun set. Only ever saw the end of the day. If he wanted to watch the day begin, he had to crane over the north edge and tip his head just so, and- It was really quite a pain. Because only ever seeing the end of things, well that was just a sad state to be in, especially for a young man always looking for something new to entertain him.

To be fair, Teslaron had only started to think about it fairly recently.

This had been his home for as long as he could remember. It was where he'd grown up, where he'd watched his masters' children grow up, where he'd simultaneously played and worked as a youngster. It was all he'd ever known, and all he'd expected he'd ever know. And the young Water male had never given much thought to whether or not he should stay here, once he was free. Whether he should, or whether he wanted to.

Rationally, no, he shouldn't want to. He'd been beaten, abused, trained like an animal, and used whenever he was needed. Willingly staying in a house where all that happened... Tes knew it wasn't normal.

But his family was here, or at least as much of one as he had. Never mind mothers and fathers; his masters' children felt like brothers and sisters to him. And they'd recently lost one of their own. It was both more of a reason to stay and less of one. One the one hand, his remaining siblings would look to him for encouragement. Most were younger than him and had never experienced loss before (not that Teslaron really had, either), and his presence would likely be a positive thing, now that Laric had passed...

On the other hand, Laric had passed, and he was a great portion of the reason Tes would've made this his home. He'd wanted Laric, and now that he was gone, why should a former slave linger about his master's estate?

He shook his head tightly, eased back into his chair, curled his fingers more tightly around his mug of tea, and glowered out over the dusk desertscape.

This was a terrible feeling. This indecisive, murky, stuck-ness where all options just seemed equally unpleasant. He didn't have any money, couldn't go anywhere, didn't have anyone to mooch off of until he settled himself- His thoughts flicked briefly to Dris'rynne and how she'd recently expressed similar concerns over her own well being. But Teslaron wasn't foolish enough to consider himself any more than a hindrance to her. She didn't exactly like him, after all.

He huffed derisively and took a slow, slurping sip of tea.

How could anyone not like him? He was wonderful, but it mattered little. Her loss. Another sip, grumpier this time, if possible.

It was hardly a span of seconds after that that the metal rings holding the curtain to the doorway shifted and clanked roughly against each other as they were shoved together. Tes inhaled slowly and mentally prepared himself to face one of the younger girls. But when he fixed his grin in place and tipped his head back to greet the interloper, it was to see Oridan, the oldest of Xaraan's children.

"Tes," he rumbled in a low, monotonous greeting by way of acknowledgement. The older boy slipped between the chairs and took up a seat in the one Teslaron wasn't currently occupying. Oridan flopped down into the seat and sprawled dropping his head against the back of it and staring directly upward toward the sky. "I didn't realize you ever came out here."

He rarely did. They both knew as much. So rather than answer, Tes busied himself with a few more gulps at his tea.

Oridan didn't let that stop the conversation. "I thought you'd be holed up in your basement with a bottle of ale, since I haven't seen you for the better part of the day. Or worse yet, you'd slipped out without anyone knowing and Neo or Dia would have to go hunter for you once someone realized you were missing. You are quite the pain to put up with."

The commentary caused a flare of annoyance to burst forth in Tes' chest. Really. He'd been sitting here, minding his own business, bothering no one, and Oridan had to come waltzing in and insult him like he'd done something wrong.

Never mind that was how the past several months had been.

Tes waved it away, clucking his tongue cheekily. "Well, I'm doing you a service, of course," he cooed. "I'm afraid the lot of you might grow horribly bored and take to doing reckless activities, unless I keep you on your toes... No thanks necessary," Tes added, dipping his head politely toward the older boy. "It's all in a day's service."

That was apparently all the pleasantry his brother was in the mood for. "Why are you here?"

It was a question Teslaron expected, though also not one he was willing to answer. "The same reason you are, I suppose," he retorted with a shrug. "Enjoying the cooling temperatures of the night, watching the sun go down... I can even hear those children playing from three doors down. Their mother just had another baby, you know. Three children, especially at those ages, just seem like so much to deal with..."

"That's not-" His head shot up to glare at his Water companion. The older boy took a moment to tamp down the ire in his tone while Tes sipped at his tea once more. He really had started to become frustrated quite easily. Oridan used to be the more laid-back of the bunch, consistently looking so bored, yet peaceful. He took the trauma about as well as everyone else. "That's not what I meant. You know it isn't," he grumbled. "Why are you still here, in this house, with us. There's no reason for you to be. You've no obligation to anyone here."

Teslaron rolled his shoulders, groaned, and made a great show of just how displeasing the question was as he walked his digits over the arm of the chair. "It's not 'obligation' I'm hanging around for. It's..." Well, he didn't know. What he did know was that it was nothing worth explaining, so he shrugged. "Familiarity? And the lot of you are so helpless... Neo can hardly make it around town on her own."

Oridan stared at him.

Just stared, for several long moments.

"How old do you think we are?" He shook his head, waved his hand dismissively. "No, how old do you think you are? You aren't our father. Not our guardian. And before you start spewing nonsence about what we're capable of, it would do you well to remember that fourteen year old girl dragged your wasted arse home from the tavern every night you ran off." He eased back in his chair again, but his expression remained tense. "We are not seven-year-olds chasing perzai with sticks, anymore, and life is such that it encourages you to grow up whether you're ready or not."

"We don't require your help. You're not our babysitter. You are a child more so than I am, especially if we take your tantrums into account..."

"Tantrums..." Teslaron muttered, but he wasn't allowed to dwell on it.

Oridan stood, strode the two steps needed to bring him before Tes' chair, and dipped. To Tes' great surprise, Oridan's arms slipped around his shoulders, tugging him in for a hug. "Before you are my servant, you are my brother. You have been my brother longer than I care to admit, and this, this is not an ending for you, regardless of what you might think. I am not as wise as some, but I know there are things out there worth experiencing, and if you are fortunate, they will take you far away from here. And do more good for you than this land ever has."

His arms relaxed, and he peeled back to scrutinize the Water male's face. "You've never needed my permission for anything, not to stay, nor to leave, but I think it would do you and this family good if you moved on."

"Stop watching the sun. Chase it."

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Results: This is not an ending.
Word Count: 1587  

[Fluffesu]

G R O W T H x S O L O
Everything You Know

"This is preposterous."

In that moment, Teslaron couldn't agree any more. Three of the family members (four, if he was allowed to be included), all scrunched together down in the estate's cellar, otherwise known as Tes' living quarters. Oridan, Neora, and Xaraan, the kids' father. For the most part, he wouldn't have minded them watching him pack up his few belongings, but if they were going to be rude and derogatory throughout the process, they should really just move along. It was especially unpleasant to hear anything unsavory from the youngest girl's mouth.

Neora puffed up her little cheeks, crossed her arms and nodded along with her daddy's words. "Yes, preposterous," she parroted in her high-pitched voice. She really did sound so much younger than she actually was, and it was blindingly clear that she still very desperately needed his guidance.

It very near broke his heart.

But it was also important that he press on. Important for him and them. They'd learn to get along without him, as much of Oba had already learned how to get along without their servants. And they'd be better for it. That, or their quality of life would decrease abysmally, but he hoped for the former.

As for himself... Well, he'd never had much of a life outside serving them. Even once freed, and making choices on his own, he'd decided to win over their son's heart. Still, his life revolved around them, even when gone. Teslaron folded a pair of shorts as neatly as he folded anything and tucked them away in his backpack. It wasn't going to be that way, anymore. He wanted something new. Something fresh and far away.

Or at least far enough away that he wouldn't have many unexpected run-ins with this lot.

Yes, he loved these little brats like siblings, but he needed to let them go. "Ah, well, yes, it might be," he agreed with a nonchalant shrug, as he kept his focus on arranging his clothing in the bag. "But I've already decided, and if I were you, I'd consider it a blessing that I took the time to say anything at all."

Since he hadn't, the last time he'd left them. He'd taken the time to write a note, but it wasn't exactly the same as a face to face sendoff. And it was geared exclusively toward one boy in particular, besides. And he'd never been especially fond of goodbyes, anyway.

Neora squeaked indignantly as Xaraan nudged her back, out from in front of him, and farther away from Tes as a result. The older man was taller than Teslaron, if only by a bit, and he perched near to do as much looming and shadow-casting as he thought would be appropriate. Fewer things were less intimidating, and Tes tossed a look from his bag over his shoulder to quirk a brow at the man.

"Now, as ever, your 'decisions' continue to be ill-thought out and poorly planned," Xaraan rumbled. "You have no place anywhere but here. No job. No home. No family. No life outside of what I have given you. It has been my good will that has kept you alive and cared for so far, but if you leave again, you will not be welcomed back, regardless of what my wife or children have to say on the matter."

Admittedly, the old Oban's words were true. Tes didn't know what the future held. Didn't know what he'd make of the world once he was out in it with no way of getting back into his current life, but right now, in this moment, that suited him just fine. The future was his. And it would be his of his own power with what he had available to him based on his merits.

Which wasn't a whole lot right now, but that could change. It would change, if he had his way.

So he scoffed and shook his head. "I hope you don't expect me to beg you to reconsider. I hope you don't expect me to need or want you to fall back on. I've said I wasn't coming back, regardless of what happens. Those weren't just words. I meant it. So poorly planned decisions or not, I'm no longer interested in your aid."

It was rude of him. In all fairness, he'd lived a better life than many of those taken from Matori, so he sighed, turned his full attention to the still prickly man, and dipped his head. "I appreciate what you've done for me," and it did pain him to say, since he did harbor a pretty real hatred. "I'm... not displeased with my life up until this point, and I have enjoyed getting to know your family, but, ah, well, I guess it's just time for me to see more of what's going on out there. Time for this bubble to pop. Time for me to be self-sufficient..." If it was possible at all.

Xaraan didn't seem pleased. His expression tightened, posture stiffening as he glared at the smaller, younger Matori, and it looked like he had more to say, but Oridan stepped in.

The older boy had been a silent, assessing shadow for most of the discussion, watching with interest, but doing nothing to hinder either party. He took Tes' hand, shook it firmly, and nodded. "It was a pleasure having you as part of our family." Then his voice lowered, quiet enough so that only Tes would hear his quiet murmurings. "And if you need-"

Tes had to stop him. He tugged his hand free from Oridan's hold and clapped his palm across the other boy's mouth. The movement was instinctual and came without thought, and the Matori's eyes widened a half-fraction that he'd done it himself. But then he sighed, relaxed, and responded just as quietly.

"Thank you for your concern, but no. Just. No." The point of this was that he didn't want to need anything from them, anymore. He was ready to be his own person and take the world by storm.

Oridan understood, though did look mildly put off.

But Teslaron was pleased with the developments that day. When he exited the house for the last time (because it would be the last time, whether he failed miserably or achieved whatever goals he set for himself after), it came with a strong sense of pride and accomplishment and excitement. He knew these roads, but soon he'd be in uncharted territory.

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Results: Teslaron has been living a fairly stagnant life, since his boyfriend's death. He's been getting into some trouble with liquor and just driving himself ever more deeply into a state of distraught upsetedness. He has real trouble letting go and was desperate to use his former master's son as a means of getting back at him for the hardship he endured. When that was taken away from him (Laric passed while Tes was away), he didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't have purpose.

Here he decides to disentangle his life from that of the family that he's served for as long as he can remember. Despite what is generally considered a gross inability to forgive, he does acknowledge that Xaraan didn't give him a terribly gross life and forgave him, in his own way.

He also takes his first steps out and genuinely on his own, with no real destination in mind.
Word Count: 1079  

[Fluffesu]

D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Take a Guess

"He won't leave."

"You didn't have a problem with it before, and he doesn't look to be bothering anyone or taking... too far a leave of his sensibilities."

"He was better at paying before, Malila," piped a third voice, higher than the other two in that snooty better-than-you way. How a tavern wench could take such a tone with anyone, Tes would never know. "And he had the decency to go home once-"

"There was nothing decent about it," retorted the first. "That little teenage Fire girl had to come pick him up every night."

From his spot at the bar, Teslaron could hear the little cluster of gossiping females chattering away just beyond the wooden swinging door that separated the main dining area from the back staff room. He couldn't see them, since he was trying very hard to keep his gaze on the young Oban man that currently served as his drinking partner, and he really had no way of knowing for sure that they were speaking of him. But every handful of minutes, he'd hear the creak of the wooden door open up, and he was fairly confident they were peeking out at him. Or glaring, more like. And, really, who else could they be talking about?

Yes, this had been the tavern Tes frequented post-Laric, and yes, he'd been very content during those times to swallow anything mind-numbingly bitter enough to douse any unwanted feelings. ...And yes, he'd had coin from his family to pay the tab then, and his siblings to pick him up when the hour was late or pay his debts when he wasn't sober enough to remember to. He didn't now, but the little flock of bar maidens had no way of knowing he'd left his former masters behind and didn't have a source of income until it was already too late. Because of his familiarity, they trusted he'd pay his dues in the usual way, but... Well, they seemed to be drawing the conclusion that something was a touch different than before.

But since none of them had approached him directly, yet, Teslaron was content to wait and listen and pretend to be carrying on his own conversation with whoever sat down next to him and adamantly not let his eyes wander toward them, as much as he anted to. Though his focus definitely remained trained on the women, regardless of that. He didn't mind the attention, even if it wasn't given directly to him, because surely having a bunch of girls talking about you couldn't be a bad thing?

"-by that point, my old man had had enough. Kicked me right out. I thought it made the house smell nicer, and the drapes were hideous, besides."

Tes was hardly listening, but his new 'friend' (whose name he hadn't bothered to ask because sharing those things seemed pointless once the drinks started coming, anyway) seemed content to prattle on with only a few sprinkled encouraging comments from Teslaron. "Sounds like you weren't beaten enough as a child," Tes scoffed, taking a small sip from his mug. Admittedly, he didn't know where the conversation was exactly, but this route seemed well enough.

"Seems like you weren't neither." Both of the bar patrons looked up. Tes had to swivel full around on his stool to see the speaker, but he recognized Lady Number Two's voice before he even caught sight of her.

Though once his gaze landed on her, he had to admit she didn't look familiar. Which was strange, considering his frequent visits to this tavern. Most of the bar girls were Oban (no surprise there), but Number Two was a Matori lass, small in the same way previously malnourished slaves were, and she looked about as pleased as one too. She was smaller than Tes, looked younger than Tes, and appeared far more roughed up than Teslaron would have ever liked to be. He'd just opened his mouth to say as much when she fixed her discolored, milky-yellow stare on his Oban friend. "Beat it," she grunted, and her voice had taken on a completely different tone than the one she'd been using with the other serving girls. This was a tone for rapscallion strangers.

"Look, girl, I ain't got nowhere else to be, and I don't plan on leaving before I've had my fill. Have a sit if you'd like. Place is big enough for all of us."

The girl's company would've been preferred. She clearly had an opinion on him already, and those sort of people were the most entertaining to interact with, but he couldn't let her know as much. That would've been too easy He rolled his eyes at the Oban and grinned lazily in the Matori girl's direction. "But if you want a private discussion, I'm open to taking-"

Then, nothing.

As far as Teslaron could tell, there was nothing between seeing her face and those words leaving his mouth, and laying on the tavern floor, staring toward the ceiling with his face burning with this peculiar and inexplicably painful caved-in feeling. Unsurprisingly, his Oban companion had fled in the interim, or at least had moved far enough away to not be in Tes' line-of-sight. But it couldn't have been an exceptionally long period of time, because Girl Number Two was still here. Standing over him and glaring downward, hands on her hips, and looking very moderately displeased.

Teslaron blinked and very hesitantly raised a hand to brush beneath his nose, without bothering to sit up. Wet, and on closer inspection, red. His gaze held on the ceiling and he was overcome with this unwelcome and almost surreal sensation that he was missing something.

Then the tavern girl toed him in the ribs, and he slowly shifted to a sit. His tongue flicked out to catch the wet droplets slipping over his lips, and he tasted blood. Vaguely, he noted that the stool he'd been sitting on had become overturned at some point, likely during his dismount. Confusion turned to some combination of incredulousness and annoyance, and his gaze turned upward to stare at her. "Did you- Did you punch me?"

She crouched down next to him, and as she did, Tes had the good sense to lean away from her, but it wasn't far enough. "Boys with mouths like yours oughtta do more listening than talking." She reached, despite his attempts at casually keeping a respectable amount of space between them, and adjusted the front of his shirt. He squinted at her. "I've not been around very long, but from what I hear, it sounds like you're not doing so good at keeping up for paying for all these drinks we've been serving you."

He kept squinting at her.

She dressed like a bar girl, spoke like a bar girl when with her friends, and had the stature of a pretty little maiden. He opened his mouth, flicked his tongue across his lips, and flexed his jaw. But by the gods, she was fast, and clearly not one to mince her words. It took him a few seconds too long to catch up to the conversation. She pinched the fabric at his throat to draw it tight around his neck and coughed softly to catch his attention.

Tes shook his head to clear it. "You sure my friend there wasn't paying for drinks? That's what drinking buddies are for, you know."

"What was his name?"

"Well, we've no way of knowing now that you've gone and scared him off, have we?" Her expression darkened, and as her face tipped down to glare at him head-on, he couldn't help but notice the poorly-healed thick marring that slashed horizontally across her eyes. He hadn't noticed it before, because it didn't seem to be an issue for her, but when he actually looked at her and the off-hue of her eyes- Could she even see him?

Teslaron was careful to move silently and slowly and determined to keep the rest of his body perfectly still as he raised just one hand and settled it over the fingers she still had close to his neck. She tensed sharply, and though it was by no means a definitive that she hadn't been prepared for it, he still harbored the belief that whatever had given her those scars had taken at least some portion of her vision.

The mood wasn't right to ask. She knocked his hand away and stood. "You owe us money, and I want it paid. Either fork it over now or I'll take a couple of those pearly whites as payment and you won't bother showing your face around here again."

"Wait, wait, wait," Tes asserted as he scrambled to his feet as well, flinging his arms out in what he hoped was a dissuasive matter. "That's hardly any fun, is it? You'd still be out your money, and eeeeeveryone here would lose valuable bar company, so how about... a game, instead?" He sent her his most 'disarming' grin.

Number Two didn't seem swayed. "Do you think I'm the type to play games?"

If he wasn't the daring type, he would've run right there. That probably would've been the sensible thing to do. Unfortunately Teslaron was cocky and a bit of a show off, and games with terrifying females were the best, most entertaining variety. It wasn't as if he had much else on the day's agenda. "It's not really a game that you play. It's... more for me. I either win, or I lose. And If I lose you can have as many teeth and fingernails and- Well, I'm not sure, whatever else you like. And I'll be sure to pay you whatever I owe in... three days."

"I could make you do that without the need for-"

"But that's boring, and you could do that with anyone. I like to think I'm the only one who'd give you a more fun option. Besides if I win, you'll still get what you're owed. I just... request the opportunity to do it in a less timely manner and possibly with less of the actual cold, hard coin involved."

She tapped her toes, and though her gaze was clearly on him, it didn't feel on him. Her eyes were narrowed like she was squinting through fog. "I don't lose nothing?"

"You don't lose nothing," Tes agreed. After another moment, she gave a hesitant nod, and he continued. "You couldn't tell before, but I'm very good with names." She scoffed, and he grinned. "I'd have played with my other friend, but you wouldn't know if I was right, right? So how about I play with you? If I can guess your name, I win."

She looked understandably skeptical. "I never told you my name."

"Do you tell anyone who drinks in here your name? No? Didn't think so. It wouldn't be much a game, if I already knew it."

"That's a dumb game."

"Is it Talori?"

"No," she grunted and made to reach for his arm. He didn't know what she planned to do beyond that, but he skirted back and out of range because it likely wouldn't be pleasant. She grimaced, and opened her mouth to argue.

"Well, I get three guesses," Teslaron told her incredulously. "There are only a quadrillion names in the world; you can't expect me to get it on my first go." She looked impatient, and the sound she made mirrored that, but she didn't do anything beyond that, and Tes couldn't help but grin. "It's Hajiley?" She squinted at him, huffed, and shook her head. She didn't look to be having fun, and Teslaron had to admit that it was mostly entertaining for only, only for the split second that followed-

"Malila."

Her eyes widened a scant fraction. Her fingers pinched into her skin where she'd crossed her arms, and the set of her already-displeased mouth became sour. "No," she bit roughly.

But that was nonsense. He knew it, and she knew it, and it delighted him. "Such lies," he teased, beaming brightly as, despite the clear warning from earlier, he reached to snatch up her arm and tug her farther from the bar. Whatever resistance Malila had initially, whatever pure unadulterated rage, seemed to have dwindled to a quiet, simmering frustration. But it didn't seem likely that she'd punch him again.

"Alright, alright," she snapped, flinging his hands off of her and dusting herself. "You win your dumb game, but you still owe the tavern some coin, and you said that even if you win-"

"I said you'd get your dues, and you will," he promised, though Malila looked neither reassured nor enthused. "You may find this hard to believe, but I'm a very handy serving boy." Her expression said that she didn't find that hard to believe. Her posture said that commentary of the sort, even the kind that just sounded like it might be linked to the Matorian's past, was unwelcome. But Tes cared literally nothing about that. "I could maybe even be convinced to wear one of those pretty tavern dresses. I'm sure you wear it better, but-"

"You wouldn't." Though her face didn't show it, he thought he detected a hint of amusement.

"I would," he assured, but before he could elaborate on it, she was shoving him away.

"You get out of here," Malila grunted. "With your silly nonsense and dumb games. I'll talk to the owner about some arrangement involving you and some possible work, so if you ever come back, you've got that to look forward to. And I'll be sure to find you something pretty. So if you're smart, you'll stay away from here and find somewhere else to drink." She guided him toward the door, none-too-gently, and as she pushed him over the threshold, he thought he heard her utter, "But with a dumb face like yours, I bet you ain't smart enough to stay away..."

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Results: Met Malila.
Word Count: 2323  

[Fluffesu]

D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Bonding Over Breasts

"You... you really are ridiculous." For all her harsh words and rough demeanor from their initial meeting, there was a very clear lack of bite in Malila's tone now. She still didn't look as amused as Teslaron would've liked, but exasperation and disbelieve were better than outright hostility.

Despite her warnings that he'd be stupid to show his face at the tavern again, the Matori man found himself at the back entryway, dressed in the fashion he'd said he would be and grinning dumbly at the incredulous woman before him. Admittedly, there was next to zero reason for this nonsense. He probably ought to have stayed away and saved himself the work ethic, but that was hardly fun. Getting girls to make this expression was much more entertaining.

He gave a spin, and the very short frills in his dress flicked up to twirl about with him. "What do you think?" he asked teasingly, hoping he sounded like a young girl off to her first dance. "It's lovely, isn't it? I know these aren't exactly my colors but, as you know, the attire around here tends to be colored with he hues of the desert... And it was; brown and yellow, with red corset lacing and splashes of mauve trim. Teslaron would've been the first to admit that it was actually quite hideous, made worse by the brighter blues of his skin. But with a budget like his, he couldn't afford to be picky, and he had told Malila he'd wear one for her. Even if she thought it was 'nonsense.'

The Matori female shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then there came an exasperated puff, followed by more head shaking and a gesture with her free hand that almost looked like surrender. "Fine, milday," she grunted as she grabbed a fistful of fabric at his chest and tugged him into the building. "Better not complain when drunk men start pinching your butt."

"Now who could be mad about that?" He retorted teasingly.

The next hour was significantly more boring. Teslaron wasn't especially familiar with jobs that didn't involve household upkeep, and he found it very difficult to be bothered to care what the tavern's patrons wanted. But he took solace in the idea that since Malila wasn't the type to smile, apologize, or try and make friends, he didn't have to either. He took drink orders, he served, and by the gods, there was just an arduous amount of running back and forth from table to staff area. He'd offered to be a serving boy, but he'd hoped for something a little less... this.

But at least he didn't make any new friendships.

By the time he was back in the staff room, sitting on the floor and pointedly ignoring his duties, most of the humor from the start of his new mission had drained away. "You lied, you know," he huffed as Malila shoved her way by him as she reentered the room. "There have been zero butt-pinches. I'm disappointed in the turnout. Am I not cute enough? Or is it too obvious that I'm not a woman? I think from behind it should be alright. It's not like my legs are extraordinarily manly."

When she squinted down at him, he was again besieged by the notion that she was trying to pick out the details of his face and posture, that she was seeing him, but not... fully. Like it was a struggle for her to make things out properly. Again, he chose not to comment on it in lieu of her next words. "Ain't nobody out there drunk enough to mistake you for a woman. Too early for it. They all just think you're a creepy weirdo."

Teslaron hummed softly. He knew he didn't look especially effeminate, and he didn't really want to, besides. This whole effort wasn't so much for the appearance of it as it was for to just... get a reaction out of this girl. After spotting him in the late morning, she'd once again mellowed to his antics. Malila was a strange one. She had short bursts of annoyance, irritation, shock, and exasperation, but she tamped it all down very quickly, like she was now.

He still hadn't seen any positive emotions from her, though.

"We could probably make this more convincing," Tes decided after a moment. Malila didn't look convinced with just that, so Tes slapped his hands over his chest and gently tugged outward on the cloth there. "If I had a couple of real nice, big ole lady breasts- What do girls do when they've got small tits?"

This was clearly the wrong path to take. The Matori female grimaced and crinkled up her face like she smelled something sour. Though throughout the day, she'd seemed to be trying to pay him as little mind as possible while they worked together, now she crossed her arms and squinted down at him. "Do you think you're funny?" She demanded hotly.

He knew the girl could be a bit... volatile, if offended, and Teslaron ought to have taken a step back then. But he still still favored a bolder rather than safe approach, and he shrugged. "I was trying to be," he admitted. "But I guess you don't have much experience in the tiny breasts category." He eyed her, and she shifted just ever-so-slightly to bring her crossed arms up higher on her chest. "But one of my sisters used to stuff her corset with paper bits, even though I told her it didn't even look real and was just completely unnecessary-"

"You have sisters?"

"Yes, and sometimes they were just absurd little children. I don't know if it was because of their upbringing, or maybe they were just crazy-"

"And you were allowed to live with them?" Malila prompted seriously. It was the most interested she'd sounded since their meeting. "You still lived with your family, even though you were brought... here?"

It took too long for Teslaron to understand, so when he went on, it was as if there was no other way it could've been. "Yes," he asserted. "Of course we lived together. It wouldn't have done anyone any good to keep us separate, since- Oh." Right. She probably thought he meant Matorian sisters, who'd been taken into slavery with him. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Well, they were my masters' children, I mean. I called them sisters because that's... how I felt about them, I suppose. But we aren't blood-related, no..."

He didn't know if he should bring up how little he knew about the family that had been left behind in Matori. It wasn't as if he held any interest for them.
Maybe when he was younger, when he was still very small, he'd dreamed of going back, but now... Well, he wouldn't even know who to look for, and he'd long since decided he didn't care about anyone who would just give him up without a fight.

There was nothing for him in Matori. He'd convinced himself there was nothing for any former slave in Matori. All that lay on those sandy shores was crushed hope. Their lives were here.

"Oh."

It was all he got from Malila He thought to press. Tes did wonder how and why she'd turned out the way she did. She was old enough to have been a slave, like him, and that scarring across her eyes hadn't come from nowhere, and she clearly had an interest in family dynamics, though it sounded like there wasn't much to base it off of... He wanted to ask, but he didn't. It likely wouldn't further his goal of positive emotion. Instead, he cleared his throat, and went on with his previous topic of interest.

"I want real shape and weight, so paper just won't do. I thought maybe just a sack of sand would be acceptable, but that's... too heavy and blobby, I think. But what if I used meat, since that's got to be basically what boobs are, anyway? And I could just cut it into the desired shape and-"

"You really are stupid," Malila scoffed with a shake of her head. Whatever she'd been thinking of him and his family a moment prior seemed to have taken the harshest edge out of her voice, but she still wasn't thrilled. "You're not wasting any food in here with those idiotic antics, and meat would smell, anyway, and leak and be a horrible mess. Worse than sand, I'd imagine." There was a pause, and as Tes looked at her, he really genuinely believed she was mulling it over, against her better judgement. "And it wouldn't move right."

Tes tsked, flicked his fingers dismissively, and shook his head. "'It wouldn't move right,'" he repeated tartly. "I'm sure it would be fine if it was wrapped well enough and maybe if it was cooked beforehand it wouldn't smell bad."

"You're making me sick just to think about it. No. Gods, no." She crinkled her nose, and poked out her tongue. "It's like you don't even understand all the good things about breasts. For one, they don't smell like meat. They aren't for eating."

"You could've fooled me."

"You're dumb."

"You're dumb!" he retorted briskly. "Besides, it's not like I've ever, y'know, had the chance to sample the textures and flavors-" She mouthed the last word in confusion immediately after he said it. "-of the fairer sex. I had a boyfriend, and he was lacking in the chest-area department. And then there was..." Well, Dris'rynne certainly wasn't a girlfriend, despite what he would've liked to think of her. They'd had a good several encounters by this point, and for as much as he thought of her, he didn't think it was reciprocated. He shrugged.

Malila's expression seemed to be locked in a perpetual squint now, like she thought he was truly crazy. Or maybe she was crazy, and the entirety of this encounter was some absurd hallucination. "What about rice?" Teslaron blinked. "Like cooked rice. It's moldable enough and sticky enough, so long as you've got something to wrap it in, and it won't smell, either."

He wouldn't have thought she was serious. He still didn't for the most part, except that she had boiled him some rice, drained it, wrapped a handful of it in a thick cloth and was now sitting on the ground in front of him, unlacing the red ties around his neck. "If it had a low neckline, you'd be s**t out of luck," she scoffed.

"You never asked my name."

"I don't care about your name."

"If you're going to be fondling my lady bits, you should at least have the decency to know a girl's name first." Teslaron retorted as he reached for and subsequently nabbed her rice rollings.

"No, I don't care. You're not going to do it right-"

"I think I know how to handle my body. You're too rough-"

"Let go, Dummy!" She snapped as she tried to wrest the bundles from his fingers. "You're going to squish it! You don't know-!"

"As a man, I think I do know-"

"Alright!" Malila jerked her two rice paddies from his grasp and scowled at him. "Alright, fine. What is it, then? What's you're name? But you better understand that you'll always be 'dummy' or 'idiot' to me."

Tes grinned and let his arms fall to his sides, so that when she scooted back in to 'fix' his chest area, he wouldn't be in his way, anymore. "It's Teslaron, but you can call me..." It didn't take long to come up with something more suitable for his current predicament. "Tessa."

x
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Results: Malila helps Tes be a better drag queen.
Word Count: 1948  

[Fluffesu]

D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Swift Trick

It had taken several more normal encounters before Teslaron could convince his new lady friend that he wasn't a psychotic weirdo that went out of his way every day to do absurd and obnoxious things. When he walked into work each morning, Malila would squint and scrutinize him warily, clearly unsure what to expect of him this time, despite the fact that he'd really only acted out during his first day on the job (and since he was pretty sure she'd gotten a kick out of it too, he didn't know what she was so worried about).

But eventually, the Water female managed to relax enough to hold casual conversation. Her tone still wasn't quite the same as it was when she conversed with her girlfriends, but Tes felt accomplished all the same, since it was still piles better than how she treated the bar patrons...

"Think I broke something," she informed him tartly once she'd passed through the swinging wooden door to the back of the bar.

Teslaron wasn't of a mind to deny that he was always very interested in the drama she created. He liked a little excitement in his life, and so long she she wasn't taking her fist to his face (again), he always found himself rather amused with her less-than-savory interactions with the other men in the tavern. Always men. She never attacked women. Tes was at the door in a split second, and nudging it open just enough so that he could peer out through the crack at the man just picking himself up from the floor and his raucously laughing friends.

Damn, he wished he could've seen the whole of it. No blood, so he could hardly even get an idea of what happened. It couldn't have been that bad, since his comrades weren't displaying the same amount of alarm Tes had come to expect of them, and Malila's punching bag wore little more than a scowl. Teslaron turned from the doorway with a shrug. "He looks alright," he replied. "If you did break something, he probably doesn't need it too badly."

The Matori woman wore that judging squint again, like she was assessing his level of intelligence and unable to come up with a definitive answer. After a moment, she shook her head with a scoff. "Not on him," she retorted. "On me." She offered him a hand, and when Tes very hesitantly (was this a trap?) folded it in his own and stepped closer to inspect it, she said, "Can't move a couple a my fingers. They must be broken."

She was nonchalant and dismissive enough of it that Tes nearly didn't believe her. He'd never broken a bone, himself, so didn't have anything to base that level of pain off of, but it had always seemed like it would be worth more upset than what she displayed. Ignoring her commentary and the obvious redness and slight swelling, he dusted his thumb over her middle and ring finger and earned a flinch and glare in response.

But that was easy to ignore, and Lila didn't pull away. So he leaned in to inspect them closer.

Although Teslaron wasn't foolish enough to get into situations where he'd be inflicted with this much damage himself, he did have two brothers, and they'd been rambunctious enough in their youth to have snapped a few fingers and an arm. The unnatural downward slope of Malila's digits weren't especially unfamiliar to him in that regard. he lifted his gaze to her face and quirked a brow. "You-"

"Hit him just wrong," she grunted. And her could hear the complaint in her voice, if not in her actual words. "I could tell as soon as I moved in for the punch. It was gonna be a bad one." She shrugged and tugged her hand free of Tes' fingers. "And it was. They'll heal up, I'm sure. Or do whatever they do when left alone."

It was his turn to squint. "You can't just leave them. They'll never set right. I'll take you to a healer, if you don't want to go alone, but I won't let you do nothing."

"I ain't going," she retorted petulantly. "My master broke three of my toes once, when he wasn't satisfied with my performance for his friends."

"What?"

"Didn't get a healer then, neither," Lila continued. "And my toes all turned out just fine." She crossed her arms, and Tes was careful to not the way she tucked her hand gingerly beneath her opposite arm, out of his view and protected from outside dangers. "Not paying anyone to touch me, if I don't want 'em touching me."

Teslaron was drawing a blank on how exactly to respond. He knew he was angry that anyone could leave a little girl to suffer for what were likely unjust crimes. Of course some of the Obans slavers had been more violent than his own masters had been, but actually hearing about it and looking at a girl who'd endured it made bile rise at the back of his tongue. He also knew he wasn't going to let her walk around working and living life with broken bones when there was no need for her too, anymore. But when his gaze fell on hers and she mirrored his squint back at him through clouded eyes, the anger won out.

"You weren't taken to a healer for your eyes, either," he prompted sharply. "You can't see very well, can you?"

It was the first time she'd ever not met his stare as best she could, and rather than any actual answer, Malila rolled her shoulders. It wasn't any stretch of the imagination to imagine how or why that had happened, and Tes chose not to press further. At least he thought he had some understanding of why she behaved in a much more volatile manner toward males. Her former master was surely of the worst kind.

With a stiff sigh, Tes shook his head. "I'm not a healer, and I'm sure your hand would be better off if you saw an actual professional, but if you'd allow it, I would like to try and wrap them up. It might help." Or it might not. He had only minimal first-aid experience when dealing with his siblings. Anything more serious than a scrape was taken to someone better equipped to handle it. Still, Tes tried a smile, just the same. That had always been what he was expected to do. "I won't even charge you."

If he was surprised when she allowed it, he kept it to himself.

The tavern kitchen wasn't well stocked with medical supplies, but Tes didn't think he needed much, anyway. A short splint of wood and a small wad of bandages were really all he'd know what to do with. Malila sat on the counter top, and Tes knelt in front of her, with her hand in his, gently but firmly wrapping three of her fingers together.

They'd been silent for most of the process, if only because Teslaron couldn't find it in himself to say anything to her, and Lila was busy stifling her yips whenever she jarred him. But now that they were at the end of the process, he could physically see the wary tension seep out of her body, and she almost looked... amused as she squinted down at him, or at least more at ease than she'd ever been with him, yet. He glanced up in time to catch the expression, and caught her eye. "What are you so happy about?"

"This must be what a princess feels like. Sittin' up here, lookin' out, pretty knight on the ground in front of you." Tes blinked and cocked his head. His impulse was to play along, grin, immediately kiss her fingers, call her 'my lady.' He didn't.

His sky princess, his moon goddess, was not this girl. And even if the nicknames had been teasing and even derogatory at the start, it didn't feel like it now. Calling any other girl those names felt almost like cheating, even if there was no grounds for it. Dris'rynne didn't even like him. She never had. Malila probably didn't either, but he had to admit that it was nice to have her as a constant when nothing else was. He'd lost his boyfriend, left home, and was chasing a girl that probably didn't care for him one way or another. But Lila was here every day, usually annoyed, but here.

She didn't notice how still he'd gone, and went on when he was silent. "I like you, Tessa," she told him. "You're real dumb, but you're not dumb like other boys are. And you're funny sometimes, and nice sometimes... I didn't wanna like you, but you're okay." She hoped from the counter, and layered her bad hand over Tes' head to encourage him to stay near the ground. She bent at the waist and dipped to touch her lips to the top of his head. "If more boys were like you, maybe things would've turned out better."

x
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Results: Tes bandages Lila's hand and wonders over how close he can get to her, while Lila seems to be gaining confidence about having him around.
Word Count: 1516  

[Fluffesu]

D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Goods and Services

"You've never eaten kehtra? Of any kind?" Tes asked in surprise as he watched Malila devour her 'dinner' of fried tavern food. "But it's a Matorian meal! You weren't curious to try the cuisine of your homeland the second you could? Gods, that must've been the first thing I did..."

Lila shrugged and chomped off a bite of a likely wisely unnamed meat. "Get food from here for free, and imported stuff's expensive. I can't cook, anyway. Never learned. I'm not gonna ruin an expensive food because of dumb curiosity." She took another bite, dusted her hands free as best she could of any greasy crumbs and stepped back. "'Sides, people waste so much here. Someone needs to eat the scraps."

There were few things more disgustingly absurd in Tes' book. Leftovers from random bar patrons did not count as a meal, and if all Malila ate was fried tavern filth, than she was sorely missing out. He tsked loudly and shook his head. "If I had a real kitchen to use outside of this place, I'd offer to cook for you."

A new level of intrigue entered Malila's narrowed gaze as she turned to face him. "You can cook?"

"I'm very good at it."

If she was intrigued before, it managed to morph to disbelief as soon as those words left his mouth. "I'm surprised you're good at anything."

She was teasing, of course, and Teslaron knew it. Over the course of their last couple weeks together, Malila had managed to open up a bit more. She didn't dislike Tes, but for the most part expressed very little interest or patience in other men. The tavern kept her around because even though she could be brutal to the patrons, she was cute enough to be a serving girl and tough enough to make sure dues were paid. Though she couldn't see well, her sight had been so poor for so long that she'd adapted in other ways, like recognizing people by the shape of their blob. She had no schooling and no desire to learn now. She'd also decided she wasn't likely to leave Oba. It was too familiar at this point, and navigating elsewhere would be difficult. It was a sentiment Tes could understand. He snorted. "Well, I'm also good at not being offended by rude little girls, so there's that."

She laughed at him and gave another shrug. "Dunno if I believe you, but I'm willing to give it a shot. If you buy whatever it is, I'll let ya use my kitchen. I don't got much, so won't be too fancy, or nothing."

Teslaron blinked in surprise. He'd never once seen Lila out of this building, so the thought that she could exist outside of it was far more of a shock than it deserved to be. "You don't live here?" he asked incredulously.

"Nah, dummy, I work here, you know that. Still go home at night, though. It, ah..." She stalled briefly and gave a short puff of a sigh. "Don't really like not having a place to myself. More comfortable to sleep in a dwelling that I own, I guess."

Such was how he ended up at the young woman’s residence. Like most of Oba’s inhabitants, she too lived in a small building, scrunched between other buildings and surrounded by neighbors on all sides. Despite wanting a ‘place to herself’, she still shared the complex with a handful of other girls, with just the unit to herself and a locked door between them. As for the inside of her apartment… Well, Malila lived very minimally, with only a rickety table to eat on and a little cot for sleeping. Other furniture was nonexistent, so he assumed it was the feeling of security she was really after.

It was still more than he had.

As she’d requested, he’d brought all the ingredients along that he’d need: the meat, the seasonings, the side dish. Though he hadn’t realized she’d also meant utensils and cookware. Fortunately, she’d expected as much and had managed to ‘commandeer’ a few things from the tavern. Though that had been precisely what Tes had meant to ignore, he decided to make due. With everything available to him already laid out, he set to work while Malila looked on.

“So… you were somebody’s little chef boy, huh?” She asked from her perch atop the counter. “With ‘siblings’ around to take care of? What a lucky break.”

She wasn’t wrong, and he knew she wasn’t. "That’s right," agreed on a murmur as he folded a lump of meat into a thin layer of dough. "It was worth complaining about at the time because it felt like the greatest injustice to be a nanny to a family that didn’t detest me, but..." At least things had been simpler back then. He knew his role and his goal. He had a roof over his head and good food and even companionship. He’d still been a ‘slave’ and beneath them all in their eyes, of course, but it could have been so much worse. "I learned a lot, anyway. Though it does tend to be more useful when I’m not on my own..."

She laughed softly. “They didn’t teach you how to pay the bills.”

"Oh, they taught me how to pay," Tes retorted. "I just choose not to. You don’t like handing over your hard-earned money, either, hm?"

She swung her feet, and her heels knocked against the clay cabinets beneath her. “I’m not used to having it,” she admitted. “I’m not used to having anything.” Tes stilled in his stirring of mashed roots and turned to glance over his shoulder at her as her voice dipped. “I didn’t learn much during that time, I guess. ‘M not real friendly, can’t cook, can’t spell. Just learned how to not need anyone’s comfort and, ahm… the kinds of things boys like.”

Teslaron’s eyes narrowed, and he grimaced as he turned back to the pot. "I doubt it," he hissed, feeling that same stinging venom in the back of his throat that he felt whenever she talked about what she’d done during her time as a slave. "You learned how vicious men can behave when they’re given a power they don’t deserve. It doesn’t have anything to do with ‘what boys like.’"

They lapsed into silence, but he could still feel her mutilated gaze hot on his back. It was the same puckered silence she fell into whenever she felt insulted. The type of silence that meant she was going to abnormal lengths to think of something clever to say. He would’ve apologized if he thought his said something that had no merit. But he wasn’t wrong, and he grit his tongue against his teeth to stop from saying anything more on that subject.

It wasn’t until he turned to offer her a taste of seasoned, mashed tuber that she said anything back to him. Malila had moved off the counter and stepped toward him in the time he’d had his back turned, and she now stood before him with as stern a look as she could manage through her clouded eyes. “I am good at it, though,” she informed him tartly, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “I am very good.”

By this point, it ought to have felt comical. In this moment, Malila wasn’t offended by her past so much as she was at Tes for insinuating that she wasn’t ‘good’ at the only thing she thought she’d gained from her horrible past experiences. He inhaled a steady breath, then let his posture ease. She took another step closer to him, not so much that they were touching, but enough so that with her arms crossed beneath her breasts like they were, he couldn’t not see them. "Stop that," he huffed indignantly as he caught the Matori girl by the elbow and coaxed her into leaving her arms straight at her sides and pointedly not pushing her bosom up for his viewing pleasure. "I’m sure you are, but you don’t need to give credit for it to anyone else."

“You got some other girl taking care of you? If you wanted, we could-”

"Malila-" he hissed softly, tone warning as she edged closer to lean against him. "No- I don’t- We don’t have to do anything," he stated firmly, leaning back to rest his weight against the counter, but otherwise doing little to push her away. He couldn’t even fathom what precisely was going through her head right now, but he did know- "You’re being ridiculous."

“You’re ridiculous!” She retorted, and it was the same as the day they’d met, when he’d been in her bar looking for ways to entertain himself and finding this girl.

She puffed out a quiet exhale and touched her head to his chest as her arms snaked up to wrap about his neck. “Maybe I’m not so good at the, uh, courting part. Don’t have a lot of practice in that area.” Not surprising, considering her rather abrasive tone. “But I want to do something nice for you.”

Tes’ hands fell to her hips, neither pushing nor pulling, just holding. "You shouldn't worry about anything like that."

“I want to do something nice for you because I like you, and you’ve done lots of nice things for me. You made me smile, and fixed my hand, and cooked me dinner… And I don’t… well, I don’t see you around with anyone else very much. I’m not real sure who all you talk to, besides me. So I just thought you liked me too, and when boys like girls-

"I do like you," Teslaron assured her quickly. "But you also don’t owe me anything. I do nice things for you because I’ve appreciated the opportunity to get to know you and to have something to do outside of being on my own. You have made me happy. You still do. And that’s why I wouldn’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable or feel used..."

She looked at him like he was the stupidest being in all of existence. And still managed to have the whole of her lithe frame pressed to him while she did it. “Dunno why you think I like you that much. I said I wanted to make you feel good because I wanted to.”

The night was taking far more bizarre turns than he’d been prepared for, but when Malila’s lips dropped to his neck, he found himself tipping his head back to offer her easier access. ”I just assumed that since… you…” He sucked in a breath when her teeth grazed his neck, and his fingers pinched tighter against her hips. ”I thought you wouldn't be one to enjoy sex since it was probably ruined for you when you were younger…”

“Do you know many people who don't enjoy feeling appreciated for doing something enjoyable? You wouldn’t be the first person I've slept with since then, you know. And you won't be the last, I bet.”

He hadn't known as much, and he probably wouldn't have believed her if he thought she had any reason to lie. But she looked perfectly at ease just then, her mouth felt good on his skin, and her body more than welcome when pressed against his. She hadn't made it out to sound like she wanted anything more than just this moment, and since he was available and not opposed…

Dinner could come after.

x
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Results: Malila invites Tes to her house for dinner, and they have a friendly trade of services.
Word Count: 1916  

[Fluffesu]

P R P x R E F L E C T I O N
A Birdie Told Me...

TES' THOUGHTS

Results: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???  

[Fluffesu]

D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Gonna Have a Baby, Baby

A lot had changed in the two-month span since Malila had decided she wanted to do something 'nice' for Tes, though it had all happened in one great heap and all at once. For the first month after their first night together, the pair continued to behave as they had previously. They still worked in the tavern together, with Teslaron doing his best to keep Lila in high spirits while simultaneously grating on her nerves. They ate dinner together, they explored the market together, they slept together.

It was an easy month, easier than many of the previous ones, and for the most part, Tes wasn't sure if he had any right to ask for more beyond that, when there wasn't much else he had to offer to the world. But he asked anyway.

When Dris'rynne found him on the ground floor of the inn where he'd taken up his own residence, Teslaron hadn't expected it to change anything. Their encounters seldom did much, besides leave him wanting more, always (Dris really did seem to bring out the worst selfishness in him). But expected or not, that meeting served as a certain turning point for what was likely the most monumental changes in his life. For all his complaining and bemoaning that Dris didn't care about him or notice him, she was there, then and needed him.

So he moved in with her. It wasn't a difficult decision, and even if there had been an alternative option, Tes couldn't imagine choosing anything over this. He didn't return as often to Malila's tavern after that, opting instead to tend to the things Dris'rynne needed assistance with in the final stretch of her pregnancy, and when he did head to the bar, it wasn't for any lengthy stretch of time. Only long enough to animatedly tell his best friend what new discoveries he'd made about the world and the fabric of the universe. 'Why are females so moody? There are days I can't so much as look at her without inciting the wrath of the moon, and if I had to guess, I'd say it has to do with the most appalling eating habits I've ever seen. They're worse than yours, Malila. They're worse. Than yours.'

Usually things of that nature.

It was one such day when Teslaron slunk through the back staff entrance into the tavern. He'd recently discovered that you could call anything that involved herbs being dipped in water 'tea' and get away with it. And certain less commonly sold herbs induced the most blissful state of complete relaxation that it had to be a drug.

No, it wasn't for Dris. He wouldn't risk giving anything to her and her unborn infants that had an unknown effect. But by the gods, Tes thought it a wonderful treat from himself on especially 'moody' days.

He'd hardly so much as pushed the door open before Malila's gaze was on him. As her foggy eyes found his frame, he was struck by the impression that she'd been distinctly waiting for him, waiting for this moment. But there was no time to dwell on it because in the next moment, she'd flung herself full across the kitchen at him and crashed into him with such force that he stumbled backward from the entryway and toppled into the back alley behind the tavern.

"Lila-!"

"Tessa!" Her voice was high, higher than he'd ever heard it, and laced with such an unconstrained anticipation that it almost made him nervous. She hovered over him, with his back to the ground and her knees on either side of him. She smacked her hands to his cheeks and scrunched his face up in such a way that he thought she intended to kiss him.

But Malila knew better than that. The first time Tes had seen her after he'd moved in with Dris'rynne, he'd told her as bluntly as he could that he didn't know for sure where whatever he had with Dris would take him, but he did want it to take him somewhere. And because of that, the intimacies he and Lila shared had to stop. He'd been surprised when she wasn't offended, though he really oughtn't have been. Malila wasn't a selfish woman. She was pleased to have had what they had and quick to assure him that he wasn't so amazing at sex that their whole friendship depended on it. She'd said she wanted him to be happy, and he wanted the same for her.

Rather than kiss him, she leaned down to touch her forehead to his, with her whole faced scrunched up tighter than usual. She was grinning, with her eyes pinched closed and her nose crinkled.

"I'm pregnant."

A great wave of tumultuous emotions washed through Teslaron in an instant. First, delight and excitement. Malila was clearly in very high spirits over this news, and it was impulsive that he mimic that. She was happy, and he was pleased that it was so. Second came confusion because he thought, as she'd told him, that she would be unable to bare children. But before that thought could come to completion, the third feeling, an overwhelming sense of trepidation, consumed him.

He sat up slowly, and Malila obliging scooted off of him to sit with her legs folded in the dirt in front of him. She grinned up until she realized the tension in the air, then her face slowly fell. "How?"

As always, Malila was undaunted and bold in her assertions. Though not smiling, she wasn't hesitant, and she didn't take her foggy eyes off of him. "I think they all come about in the same way, usually."

"Mine?"

"Yes."

He believed her with no more prompting than that. Lila wasn't a liar. She was too proud. But the gnawing anxiety of not knowing what she hoped to gain by telling him this chewed through him. "I can't- You know I- I'm living with Dris'rynne. I promised her I would help her. She needs me. I-"

Lila shifted so that her folded knees brushed his legs. She touched a hand to his cheek to draw his attention and said in a tone far calmer than anything else so far, "I am not trying to take that from you." Each word sounded carefully measured and purposeful. Her tone was quiet but firm, and she looked him head-on. "I'm telling you because you deserve to know, and I wouldn't keep it from you if you wanted to play some part in taking care of it. But if you don't want to, I wouldn't care-"

"I do want to," he insisted sharply. "That's the problem. I want to. But I have Dris, and hers will be born soon, and she'll want to return to work, and she has no one here who can help her, and I've never... I can't be with you, just because of this."

"I'm not asking you to be," Lila retorted. "You don't have to move in with me. You don't have to help me. I don't want anything from you that you haven't already given me and have been giving me since you started living with her." She leaned to touch her nose to his. "I'm not afraid of doing this alone. I'm just happy. I'm so happy because I thought I'd never get the chance."

Teslaron knew that much. Malila wasn't often up for discussion regarding their slave days, but once, when they'd been in bed together, she'd told him she doubted she could carry a child. Her past experiences with Oban slavers had given her many opportunities in the past to become pregnant, but she never had. Or if she had, it had never been long enough for her to show. And so she'd assumed that it was just one more way that they'd cursed her. That she was so delighted now was no surprise.

"I don't want you to do this alone, either."

"Then don't let me." When he opened his mouth to argue that he'd just told her about how he needed to be with Dris'rynne during this time, she scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. "You are making a mountain of a mole hill, dumb boy. Be with your woman. I'm not trying to stop you. There's still months before I'll be too far along to be of use to anyone, and we'll have those months to figure out something that works for us." She looped an arm about his shoulders. "I'm excited. I'm excited, so stop looking so sour."

Teslaron puffed out a stiff sigh and dipped his head to rest against Lila's shoulder. It was good news. He'd even told Dris'rynne, when he'd first learned of her pregnancy (and she'd seemed rather distraught about it) that every child was a blessing. And he couldn't think of a time when he'd ever not wanted children.

He gave a curt nod, then, "You should meet her."

He could feel the dusting of Malila's eyelashes as she blinked. "Who?"

"Dris'rynne," Tes replied. "You should meet her. If we're all going to be... tangled into this together, I think it would be beneficial to you both- to all of us, if you two were at least familiar with each other..." Teslaron would've trusted Malila with his life, and she him. Dris had also said she trusted him, but the two woman had never met, and at the current rate things were going, that tasted like a recipe for disaster.

With a cluck of her tongue, Malila nodded. "Fine, huh. If it'll get you to stop crying all over me like a big baby. Dummy."

He scoffed and leaned to dust his lips lightly across her cheek. "Thank you. You'll love her. I know it."

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Results: It's baby time.
Word Count: 1627  

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P R P x R E F L E C T I O N
Bring It In

TES' THOUGHTS

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W O R L D x E V E N T x R E F L E C T I O N
Creepy Crawlers

TES' THOUGHTS

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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Fourteen Hours

In the months that followed, Teslaron tried to split his attention as evenly as physically possible between Dris'rynne, who now had the gift of twin infants to tend to at all hours of the day, and Malila, who'd recently been excused from her tavern work until her boss felt confident that lives weren't in danger with her presence. It was really pretty unfortunate for the Water girl. The tavern was where she had most of her personable interactions, it was how she made her coin, and it was someplace entertaining. Without it, she complained of boredom every time Tes saw her, and it prompted him to want to be there for her more frequently.

However, he wanted to be there for Dris too. More than once he'd thought of offering the idea that they should just all live together during this time. As far as he could tell, none of them hated each other, and it would be so convenient when caring for the kids and cheaper. And surely no one would be bored or lonely, and all his ladies in one place could not possibly be a bad thing.

But he wasn't so foolish that he'd ever actually say as much to either of them. Maybe Dris and Lila weren't on negative terms, but neither of them were particularly trusting individuals, and being in constant contact with each other lent itself to giving them time to get on unfavorable terms.

Even if it sounded fun and simple in the short-term, it wasn't really a rational route to take in the long-run. Malila would feel better when she could return to work on the regular and when she'd have the constant distraction of a new baby to tend to. And Teslaron would be so much happier when he could hold his child in his arms, and let it join him in his own home with his daughters. Everything would work out, if he only had patience.

But for now, he only had time to visit.

When he reached Malila's apartment, Teslaron was stunned to find that her door was unlocked. It wasn't as if she had much to steal, so there weren't necessarily a great heap of reasons for security, but Lila wouldn't ever think that herself, just as she wouldn't ever think it a good idea to give off the vibe of 'welcoming' by leaving her door open to any random passerby. Tes peeked in, anyway. "Malila? He called out uncertainly. "Are you here?"

He couldn't say if he expected a response or not, but he didn't receive one, regardless. He searched for her, anyway, with a building wariness that he knew he wouldn't have felt if she wasn't carrying his unborn child. Lila was a tough woman, and she didn't need his concern. But she was also abrasive enough that there were probably a handful of people from the bar who weren't especially fond of her. If anyone meant to do harm to her in her currently compromised state, it wouldn't be especially difficult.

He didn't think his concerns were especially unwarranted.

That was the next place he looked. It was a bit early in the day for there to be much excitement down at the tavern, so maybe she'd simply popped over to chat with her friends about girly things and enjoy the relative peace of the early afternoon.

"You're not with her?" Demanded one of the tavern girls that Teslaron didn't care enough about to remember her name. That, and she was clearly stupid if she had to ask about his whereabouts when he was standing right in front of her.

There were no special courtesies spared toward coming off as anything other than clipped and annoyed when he retorted. "Do you know where Malila is, or don't you?" If you don't, I would appreciate it if you could let her know I'm looking for her, if she happens to come around-"

"I know where she is," he girl snapped back. "She came in yesterday evening for a bite." Teslaron rolled his eyes. Not surprising, really. Malila's health habits hadn't picked up much just because she'd become pregnant. She still liked her meat and potatoes soaked in oil and fried to a crisp. "But... she didn't stay very long. She took a few bites, said she felt awful and weird, and the food wasn't helping, so we escorted her to a healer. She must still be with him."

'Him.' Tes' skin prickled with unease. They'd taken Malila to a male healer, despite her especially strong distaste and distrust for men in that profession. "Where?"

The wench directed him to a standalone building not especially far from the tavern's door. Just looking at the outside, Tes decided that it could have been a seedier place, and maybe Malila felt safer being in the center of town. He hesitated at the door. Going in there meant he could be opening himself up to news he might not want to hear. If she'd felt ill last night, it could mean something bad had happened with the child. If she really was still here, now...

It felt like it could only be bad news. She'd told him it could be a whole month still before their child was born, so anything that happened to her between now and the next month could only be negative. She'd told him she'd never been pregnant before, and that it wasn't uncommon for new mothers to miscarry their first child. She didn't know what she was doing. She had no experience. She'd been alone and felt awful last night-

He did not want her to be alone.

With a steeling breath, Tes opened the door and stepped inside. The entry room was deserted, save for a potted plant in the corner, but the hadn't looked especially large from the outside (as most Oban buildings weren't), so he slipped through a door leading to the back and entered a single room.

There she was, laying on her back in a small bed, with her short green hair a tousled mess, foggy eyes tired but content and holding an otherwise normal conversation with a young woman perched lightly at her bedside.

It was the Oban woman who noticed him first, and her gaze turned fierce in an instant. "You've no business coming back here uninvited. If you are sick, you can wait to be tended to out in the main area, but you will not bring your filthy, disease-ridden-"

"Tessa." Milala's hand swept the young woman away from her, and her fingers extended loosely in Tes' direction.

At that moment, he couldn't have cared less who else was in that room with them or what they were saying or how insistent they were that he leave. He stepped forward, took her hand, and dipped to kneel at her bedside. "What are you doing here? This isn't the healer we picked out. You didn't send for me. Is everything alright? Is-" His free hand raised to dust the place her belly would've been. And from looking at just the covers piled around her, he didn't initially realize it from sight alone, but when he touched her, the mass there was substantially softer.

Tes' skin crawled. His eyes widened. His throat tightened. "What's happened-?"

"Ssshhh," Malila hummed as she freed his hand and skated her fingers through his hair. "You are too loud and too dumb and asking all the wrong questions. You will wake her, and she's only just gone to sleep."

"Her?"

Malila looked to the Oban woman in the room. Though she still looked skeptical about Tes' arrival, her sharp eyes also held an understanding for the brazen entry. She stepped to the other side of Lila's bed and dipped to collect a small, neatly swathed bundle from a bassinet just barely outside of Lila's reach. When she moved to Teslaron's side, she gave him a curt nod toward the edge of the bed, silently telling him to pick himself off the floor and be a little less deplorable. These were good times.

He did as he was bid, and the swath of blankets was settled into his arms. Malila sat up enough to lean against him and join him as he peered down into the tiny, scrunched face of his daughter. She was larger than either Adenah or Annatha had been, even though she was a month early. He supposed that made sense, as she hadn't been sharing that very limited space with another. But otherwise, the infant was as little as he imagined she'd be, with Lila's petite, scrunched little nose and puckered lips.

"Oh." Of course he'd had a handful of months to acclimate to holding newborn girls, but he supposed the feeling of seeing them- or maybe of just seeing his for the first time, didn't diminish. Lila hadn't expected she cold get pregnant, and Teslaron hadn't expected that he could ever have children of his own. When he was younger, it was because he was a slave, and he would never be able to raise his own child. When he'd gotten older, it was because he'd been with a man, and two men did not usually come together to make a baby. Then he'd met Dris, and she'd promptly obtained children of her own to tend to. He still didn't consider himself in a position to think he could ever ask for more of her.

Meeting Malila and making this little girl hadn't been planned. She was an accident, but also a blessing. "She's beautiful," Tes whispered as he raised a finger to brush a pudgy little cheek. "What will we name her?"

"I've selected one already," Malila informed him, and Teslaron tried not to look put-out over being robbed of this opportunity. "Her name is Talori."

"How did you pick that?"

"You picked it," Lila scoffed. When Tes sent her a questioning look, like he thought she was delirious (she was, as they'd never spoken of names before this instant), she sighed. "When we first met, you said you wanted to guess my name. 'Talori' was your first guess."

Teslaron had the wherewithal to look stunned. "You remember that?"

"Of course. You don't?" Clearly he didn't. When he blinked stupidly back at her, she shook her head. "Yes, I remember. Thought it was a pretty name then, and it still is. She's a pretty girl. A special girl. She deserves nice things. So I'm not changing it. Get used to it."

He didn't think he was in a place to argue with her. Malila sounded like she'd made up her mind on that quite a long time ago, and it wasn't an unpretty name. So Teslaron eased back against the headboard, with the bundle in his arms and Lila at his side, and gazed down at the tiny scrunched face of his daughter.

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Results: Talori is born.
Word Count: 1814  

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D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Ages and Ages

They didn't have a verbal plan as to how they'd handle their two households once all the children were born. It had always felt like too complicated a subject for Teslaron to breach with two women who were dealing with all the hormones and mood swings of pregnancy. And then the pressure of caring for infants after Adenah and Annatha were born didn't help matters. Once Talori had officially come into the world- once she was real and healthy, Tes decided to try and tackle the problem.

"I can take care of her while you're at work." Malila sucked in a deep breath, as though the threads of her patience were already snapping. She'd only just sat down after feeding her daughter and getting her in her basket, and she wasn't in the mood for the argument this would cause. "Or in the evenings, or we could pick three days of the week where I could-"

"Teslaron. You look me in the face, you dumb boy." He scoffed, pouted, and glowered at her. "I've been a frugal woman my whole life, and I've worked hard for as long as I've been able. I don't need to return to the tavern immediately. I've enough saved up that I could probably take the whole year off and still be perfectly fine. And I might do just that. I want to watch this little girl grow up. Wanna teach her the ways of the world, and I'm not about to miss that time because of work when I don't have to."

Malila did not usually have so much to say, and Tes was struck with the notion that she'd had all this planned out. "Wonderful. I'd also like to be a part of that and since we don't live eons apart, we should be able to work out a schedule that will satisfy the both of us."

She'd started shaking her head as soon as he opened his mouth. "I'm not missing a minute. I'm not going to work, I'm not juggling a large household, I'm not interested in being away from her, and I don't want Talori spending any 'evenings' days, or any other amount of time at your house. She's staying here because this is her home."

Of course it would be difficult. Teslaron had known it would be. During those first few days, when Malila had stayed with the healer and he'd only been allowed to 'visit,' Tes had the impression that the Water woman wouldn't be letting go of her bundle anytime soon. She'd been so happy when she'd first learned she was pregnant, and now Lila hoarded her treasure jealously.

He was still calm when he spoke, though his own patience was wearing as thin as hers and he wanted desperately to argue more vocally and passionately. "I'm her father, and I where I live is as much her home as where you live. I want to be there too. For you, for her."

"And you can be. You can see her whenever you like. Those doors are never closed to you. But you have two little girls to take care of and a household of your own to manage." She sighed, leaned back into her couch and settled her folded hands in her lap. "She's too young and too small to be getting passed around and moved from place to place each day. For now, for the next year, she will stay with me, in this house, and go where I go. When I go to market, she will join me. If I go to work, I will bring her."

"I just think it would be more convenient for you if you let me take care of her sometimes..."

"Well, when you carry a kid in your belly for eight months, then pop it out on your own, you can decide what to do with it."

Never once had Malila seemed offended that he hadn't been there for her when she'd gone into labor. And although Teslaron did feel bad about it, when the thought occurred to him, he also knew there wasn't anything to be done about it. He hadn't known when it'd happened, and as she'd said, he had his own household to attend to. But when Lila brought it up now, stiffness traveled through his spine all the same. His fingers pinched and his teeth grit. "I didn't know," he tried to reason softly. "If you'd sent for me, I would've come. Of course I would have, but no one told me what was going on. I didn't know."

She waved the commentary away flippantly. "I'm not mad at you for it, Tessa. You've got your own life going on and two kids that need your attention. And I have Lori. You're still welcome to come around, but she's not spending night with you."

It was one of those times where he didn't have the words to argue. In the moment, it felt definitive, and Lila sounded so stern. Later he'd argue that he and Dris'rynne were stable, that Talori would be safer with them and that she should have the opportunity to better know her 'sisters' in this time where young infants bonded to each other and their parents without reservation. But true to her word, for the next full year, Malila kept her daughter close at her side. She didn't mind visiting Teslaron's home and letting Tes visit hers, but she did not leave Talori with him unattended.

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Results: Tes and Malila disagree on some important things.
Word Count: 916